AP News, June 3rd, 2007
The government on Sunday launched an investigation into the deaths of 12 soccer fans who were crushed as they tried to leave a stadium after Zambia defeated Republic of Congo in an African Cup qualifier.
Sports minister Gabriel Namulambe visited Konkola Stadium in the northern Copperbelt mining town of Chililabombwe and said the government had ordered the Zambian Football Association to take steps to prevent a repeat of the Saturday tragedy.
"At the end of the soccer match we all thought everything had ended well only to be shocked with the news that 12 fans had died after the match," he said on state-owned Television Zambia.
Namulambe said the victims were caught in a stampede started by a group of fans who wanted to re-enter the stadium when the main body of more than 30,000 other fans were fighting to leave.
He also said the government would pay for the funeral expenses of the dead, which, according to the official Sunday Times newspaper, were 9 men and 3 women.
Up to 50 people sustained slight injuries, but only one remained hospitalized late Sunday.
The match should have started at 3 p.m. but was delayed an hour because of the late arrival of the referee.
Afterward, there was more confusion at a hospital as family members tried to identify the deceased, prompting local police to send in 50 extra officers to control the grieving crowd.
The Zambian government has set up a committee to investigate and ordered it to report back by next Friday, Namulambe said.
The president of the Confederation of African Football, Issa Hayatou, sent a message of condolence to the Zambian government.
Zambia won the match 3-0 to send it into second position in its qualifying group.
